Copper deviance and a lost umbrella riddled with problems
by LostFrisbee
Summary: Much had changed in Edo after the war, it was a new age with festering problems. With the city being rebuilt and Sougo Okita's impending return Kagura finds herself troubled. How do you explain the existence of a half-Human/half-Yato hybrid with her eyes and his father's hair? OkitaXKagura


Chapter 1

It had been years, well a year and a bit, let's not be overly dramatic, since the 1st Division Captain of the Shinsengumi had left. Edo was still a shell of its former self but through it a new Edo was rising in its place. They had won, though you wouldn't be able to tell from the state of the place and the disrepair of the machines. Which every now and then were prone to sporadic weeping and murderous rampages. The cost of the war had been worth it none the less and the loss of many friends and familiar faces a tragic but necessary burden. They died with cause to protect the future and the very life that Kagura was currently trying to hold still on her hip.

It was Katsuo's first birthday today and he was almost self-aware of it, she swore her son had spent too much time with Gintoki. Who had no doubt nurtured this particular nature out of him. Somehow through baby linguistics he must have taught him that if there were a day of the year he wished to get his way then today was that day.

Excitement seemed to vibrate from the toddler as his once pale cheeks flushed red. Wide blue eyes searching for Gintoki as she carried him in to the _'new office'_ ; or barn, no barn was too great a description, it was more like an old man's tool shed. Gintoki had declared they would remain in business but the funds to rebuild their previous station were slow to build. As it turns out war is not only terrible for business but it really messes up the economy.

"Jintoko! Jintoko!" Katsuo's voice chimed through the old wooden barn.

"Do you want down, huh?" Kagura smiled sweetly at her son who was trying to pry her arms from around his small frame, "Yeh, momma!" he wiggled his body about, little hands clumsily pulling at her shirt.

"Alright, alight." She placed him down and watched him investigate his surroundings, messily brushing his light copper hair out of his eyes. _'I ought to take him to get that cut soon'_ , she thought but her mind drifted to the vacant nature of her bank account. She was never good with money but she had been a lot better since she had Katsuo, after all she had to be. The person she was previously could no longer exist in a world where a life was fully dependant on her. Once terrified of it she now embraced the frightening legality of motherhood and all its charm. It had felt like an age since she'd found out she was pregnant and underwent the difficult task of talking to those around her about the coming new member of the team.

Gintoki's questioning had been a frightening but oddly comforting experience. Starting with rage because she wouldn't tell him who the father was so he could, "rightly as her adoptive father", crumple him like a paper bag. Ending on excitement to have another member to their odd family.

This had been the common reaction of the others, surprise to rage then excitement, though none had exploded quite as much as Gin had. She supposed someone had to in place of her father, who never got to meet his grandson. Her brother was also informed through letter, but Kagura was sure that it didn't reach him as he moved around too often. Again this was another thing that was relatively comforting, she wasn't even sure she could handle his reaction now, never mind back then. Of course if he ever did come by then it would be hard to explain why there was a half Human half Yato hybrid with her eyes staying with her.

But that wasn't the present worry at the moment, the former rebel police force of Edo would be back today, well the first division anyhow. The 2nd and 3rd had been back for months and the commander and vice chief hadn't ever really left. Kagura felt her stomach twist in a sickly fashion.

The only one who guessed Katsuo's dad wasn't some random vagabond was Hijikata. Before Katsuo's copper baby hair even grew he'd caught one glimpse of him and the secrecy was over.

All those months ago Kagura had sat on the newly built decking for the Shinsengumi's headquarters and confirmed the demon vice chiefs suspicions. Her timing had been perfect, the building behind them was vacant and that left her the space she needed to ensure he didn't say a thing. She still remembered the conversation fairly well. From her surprise at Hijikata stubbing his cigarette out before approaching, to him asking to hold Katsuo when he sat down. It had been an odd sight and she didn't know how to react as her son cooed happily within his arms.

"I'm disappointed that he would recklessly risk getting you pregnant, you both at your ages should've used protection. But I'm going to save on that speech. I understand that you didn't get a chance to say, and until they come back you can't get in contact, so I won't say a thing to anyone."

He pressed a finger in to her son's palm, almost like he couldn't quite believe how small it was.

"You're right anyway, this news shouldn't come from me".

And as Katsuo's baby fingers grasped and wrapped around his finger Kagura could swear the vice chief looked happy.

Hijikata had kept Kagura in the loop over the return of Sougo, something she was really thankful for. Though in compensation the vice chief was present a lot in Katsuo's first year, which was really hard to explain away to Gintoki. Who really didn't understand why Hijikata was around so much. But after a sulk and a few tantrums he seemed to grow indifferent with time and many strawberry milkshakes.

Katsuo's hunt for Gin was on as he wobbled away with determination. He was growing fast and had nearly started walking, though he'd wobble, fall over and _intersperse_ his movements with a crawl. Even his language had developed rather spontaneously, for Kagura it was like waking up one day to find he wasn't a baby anymore, but an inquisitive student. According to Hijikata it was frighteningly similar to Sougo's learning curve. The more he grew the less Kagura was sure she could keep his father's identity safe, she could already see questions appearing in people's expressions especially Kondou. He'd joined Hijikata when he was visiting Katsuo a while ago, and somewhere interspersed between Hijikata's sorrowful apologies and Kondou bouncing Katsuo on his lap a moment occurred. A moment of realisation, and then serious contemplation on Kondou's part.

The gorilla didn't ask explicitly but ever since that day every so often during Hijikata's visit Kondou would also be there. Kagura knew that the vice chief had kept his promise but she had a feeling that he deliberately let Kondou come with him so he could meet her son.

It wouldn't surprise her that they, both being the way they are with Sougo, would want to be part of his son's life. After all the Shinsengumi were in part a family unit of their own, so Kagura couldn't justify denying them. Nor could she justify depriving her son from seeing them, Katsuo was always happy in their company. Aside from the occasional hair pulling and 'accidental' dropping of his food on them he was also relatively well behaved. The deviations themselves seemed like he was just toying with the men to get their reactions.

"Jintoko! Jintoko!" her son called in jubilant glee, it would seem he had found Gin rather quickly. Following the trail her son had taken she was greeted with a hung over boss laying on the floor with a toddler now parking his bottom on his chest. With bags under his eyes and a pale complexion Gintoki directed an S.O.S like face to Kagura before simply lifting the smiley child off.

"Oi, oi. My student is ready for the day I see. Good." he patted Katsuo on the head, before lifting himself on to his feet.

"Gin, my son aint your student" she shook her head disapproving, "the first sensei to any child is their mother after all!" Kagura declared this as if it were an indisputable fact but was shut down once it became apparent that Gintoki wasn't even listening. The silver mop, after staggering and making a noise of some sort of wounded animal, lowered himself again to pick Katsuo up.

"Right, son we have some business to do today. If you want to inherit your fathers business then keep that mind of yours clear and on the job." The baby linguistics seemed specifically attuned today as the toddler gave some sort of affirmative nod.

"Would you stop with that, he's not taking over Odd Jobs so you can lay about all day."

"Damn, my plans were pivotal to that going well!" He responded this time, albeit dramatically cued with music.

Taking a seat at the desk with Katsuo on his lap he preceded to filter through paper request, "Kagura-Chan we've got these done but there's one request here for you that got lost beca-" he paused upon seeing an expression inciting a warning of conflict "well it doesn't matter why it got lost, but it's found now."

Clearing the space to the desk she took the request in to hand, opening the still sealed envelope she unravelled the paper inside and was immediately stressed. On witnessing this grappling of the request, like she were in some great fight, Gintoki raised a single quizzical eyebrow.

"Let me guess the vagabond?" His voice was deep, without much emotion.

"Where is he? What does the ba-banana want Kagura?"

Luckily even in his self-perpetuated anger he managed to avoid swearing in front of the child. Whose eyes were dancing between the two, young mind trying to work out the exchange.

Gintoki's perceptions weren't off, it was in fact the father _'or vagabond or whatever word would be preferable to him'_. But Kagura couldn't let him know it was or she wouldn't be able to shake him off all day. Gin would no doubt be in full dictator surveillance of all persons and every move around her and Katsuo.

"No eh, it's just an odd one Gin-san" her voice wavered and she didn't trust her eyes.

"Oh. Eh, well you don't have to take it ya'know" he spoke awkwardly, it seemed that Gintoki had taken her reaction to mean she was uncomfortable.

Normally Gin didn't address feelings like that, this behaviour being reinforced through what he presumably felt to be his natural role in her life; to protect her. On top of that he had Katsuo on his lap. Though when the tot was older he'd likely have no filter, right now wasn't the age for him to show aggression over something so personal.

Kagura felt half glad in her head but equally half rotten in her stomach she knew Gintoki's protective intentions, and with her son nodding off to sleep against his chest she felt bad for mitigating the truth.

"I'll head off and get this done. It just involves showing people about land. Rich folk with too much money trying to exploit the poor, and all that Marxist stuff."

"Uh-huh, so are you leaving him here then?" he pointed to her now sleeping son.

"Would that be alright? My plan was too anyway. I mean I need to get his birthday cake picked up and that colouring set. This request fits in, so it can all get down in one go."

"Well there's nothing else for us today, Pachie is coming over at some point with Otae to see this drooling James Dean, so it makes sense to keep him here."

Yawning he motioned to the door "go, go we'll be fine here".

After placing an awkwardly pivoted kiss on her son's forehead she left the two to sleep. It was no secret that Gin would use this time to sleep off his hangover.

Wavering through the bustling streets a lumped formed in her throat. Sougo wanted to meet her, the note had been to say that he'd be waiting on the outside of town by the only surviving treeline from the war. There hadn't been a specified time but in knowing him she could theorize that he'd wait there for most of the day encase she was busy, and for himself to nap.

This made her think of Katsuo, he really was like his dad after all.

As she moved to the edge of the city the lump in her throat had spread to her chest. She'd never felt so panicked at the thought of meeting someone. How exactly was she going to tell him? After all she had too, he wasn't an idiot he'd figure it out.

' _Or maybe I could move planet again?_ ' came the wistful but desperate thoughts. This wasn't the only thing to bring her to this state, she could only assume that he wanted to meet her alone and outside town because of how there last encounter went.

Kagura had ended up pregnant because of that last meeting so she couldn't be certain that this meeting was to be awkward but a steady continuation of their previous rivalry, or if he was going to cut her off and tell her not to come near him again.

Since she had carried his child her thoughts had only been to that child, she hadn't thought of herself and what this meant for them. Not only was she not certain if he would stay with her or be happy to be a father but how was she going to feel upon a rejection if one were to come?

In her panic she had to face the reality that she did care for him, she did want him, her blood was rushing at the very idea.

The memory of his body weighing down on hers, the mess of clothes around them, and the cool metal buckle of his belt pressed against her inner thigh. She flushed with heat at the thought.

They hadn't even got all their clothes off, it was desperate, grabbing and full of unsaid things. He'd torn through the hem at the side of her dress so he could slip his hand over her breast.

She'd turned from the fervours kiss for air and he'd started nipping down her exposed neck.

Kagura had moaned and grinded her hips in to his rhythm. Everything was warm and the pleasure was all consuming, it wasn't carnal lust it was intimacy in its purest form.

In the moments passed between sloppy kisses and salacious curses the last wall she had hid behind went crashing down. She felt defenceless and completely and irrefutably safe.

On letting her mind dip into that pool of thought she could feel her body responding and she grew frustrated with herself. This meeting shouldn't be about that, this was for her son she had to focus.

But it was getting rather hard to so.


End file.
